1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to control systems, and more particularly, a system, program product, and method for updating existing mission data on embedded aircraft control systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ground-based data package and mission planning systems are improved and updated at a much faster rate than that of embedded control systems such as, for example, aircraft avionics and mission systems. Currently, pilots or other users perform preflight mission planning on the ground, off-line, using, for example, a desktop computer workstation located at a mission planning fixed or otherwise ground-based station or facility. Such mission planning can include determining a flight route, establishing waypoints along the flight route, identifying locations of obstacles of importance, which may affect the mission plan, typically using a digital map of terrain along the flight route, and the determining or identifying the location of a target or objective. Such mission planning can include the establishment or selection of a projected or required arrival time and objective location, i.e., “time-on-target,” and/or a launch time or en route delay time necessary to meet and objective and/or intermediate objective arrival times such as those associated with an air refueling control time, etc., or other intermediate en route arrival objective times or locations.
Upon completion, or at least partial completion of mission planning, this mission planning data or associated data package is loaded into a ruggedized Data Transfer Cartridge (DTC) which is then carried to the aircraft and inserted directly into a component of the embedded control system. In the case of an aircraft, the DTC can be inserted into a data transfer unit, typically in the form of an avionics/mission system Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) located, for example, in or adjacent the cockpit of the aircraft. In a typical scenario, the DTC is inserted prior to start-up and the pre-loaded mission plan is loaded at system start-up.
Changes to the mission planning data are typically very tedious and require the need for paper maps, hand calculations, and/or manual keying-in of data. Since it may be several hours from the time that the original data package was created until it is executed, pilots or other users find that they must perform many manual operations to update the data package either during run-up operations or while in-flight, which can be extremely difficult especially when the user must direct his or her attention to other flight-related duties. Pilots, for example, typically will need to either lean forward, uncomfortably extend one's reach, and/or tilt their head or look sideways, in order to manually enter changes or updates to the mission plan in the avionics or mission system computer. Such movement can result in physiological disturbances such as added stress or even, in some cases, spatial disorientation. Such physiological disturbances can be particularly problematic, and in some cases, catastrophic, in single pilot aircraft. Recognized by Applicants, therefore, is the need for a system and methods to make in-aircraft and in-flight changes to the mission plan without the need for paper maps, hand calculations, or manual keying in of data into the aircraft avionics or mission system computer.
According to various scenarios, in a multi ship formation or operation, a single flight crew member may either receive or determine the need for changes to the mission plan. Such changes must be relayed to the other formation aircraft and manually entered into the avionics or mission system computer by a crewmember of each separate aircraft in the formation. Recognized by Applicants, therefore, is the need for an apparatus, program product, and methods that can allow rapid in-flight update of the mission data of each aircraft. Also recognized, is need for an apparatus, program product, and methods that can allow rapid transmission of such updated information to either a ground-based or aerial command and control station.
New capabilities to be integrated into Operational Flight Program (OFP) updates typically require years to plan, implement, certify, and field at a cost of millions of dollars. As such, by the time a new capability is fielded, it is often outdated. Until now, no solution was known to-date that allows new capabilities to be integrated into tactical aircraft without modification of existing hardware and/or software. Thus, pilots are unable to leverage the advances of commercial computing technology in the same manner as their commercial aviation counterparts. Examples of advances that have not made their way into aircraft embedded systems include the application of mobile computing devices, wireless digital communications, and Ethernet data buses.
Recognized by the Applicants is the need for an apparatus, program product, and methods which can allow users (pilots) to be able to leverage advances in commercial computing technology and to integrate new capabilities without having to modify the existing functionality of the aircraft avionics or mission system software, which would require extensive re-certification.